I started getting serious about reparing my credit after years of ignoring it on 10/10/12 when I applied for a car loan through my credit union and was told I would not be approved because my credit score was under 600. It was 599 through EQ. I was dissappointed so starting looking online and I am so thankful I found this site!!

So far I have sent 3 PFD letters and out of those 3, I received two letters back stating that "per their clients request, they are closing this account and will delete all information previously reported to the bureaus". (Yay!). The 3rd one accepted my PFD settlement offer at 20% of the original amount (orig amount $600) so I have paid it and it was deleted immediately.

The 4th one is AFNI. I know many people on here have had issues with them. I sent them a DV letter because I have never had a verizon account in my entire life and apparently verizon was the OC from 2005. I never heard back from the letter which I expected. So after reading the posts about AFNI I decided to send an email to them, thought it may be worth a shot. I recieved an email back immediately stating they are unable to locate the account in question. I corresponded back and forth with them yesterday and apparently this collection is in someone else's name, which is a similar name to mine. I told them there is obviously a mistake because that person is not me. So they then asked me to call customer service to discuss the matter. I called and almost immediately they starting asking for my SSN, etc which I told them I am not willing to give this information over the phone and if this debt is truly mine then they should already have my information. They also stated that without a complete account number they would not be able to help me. I explained that the only account number I have is the one listed on my CR which omits the last four numbers. The Rep was rude despite my politeness so i knew I would get no where with her.

This morning I replied to the last email from yesterday and stated:

Hello,

I called the customer service number at your request. The representative stated she could not help me because I do not have a complete account number therefore she would be unable to help me at this time. I informed her that I had been communicating via email today about this issue and was asked to call customer service regarding the account. She asked me to verify my SSN which I informed her I am not willing to do over the phone. She stated without me giving that information, she would not be able to help me and recommended I reply to the email to let someone know what transpired during the call.

I am not sure how to handle this situation from here. I have never heard of this company before, never received any correspondence from this company, never had an account with verizon, and now no one can explain to me why this information is showing up on my credit report. As I have previously stated, under the FDCPA I have the right to request the validity of this debt. I request that AFNI prove that I am indeed the party who is contractually obligated to pay this debt. Reporting invalidated information to major credit bureaus violates Federal Law.

I would like documentation proving AFNI’s ability to collect this alleged debt from myself, A.M. I would appreciate a response with a recommendation of how to proceed.

Regards,

A.M.

I recieved this email back this morning:

Dear A.M.,

Thank you for your inquiry. You can call XXX-XXX-XXXX to speak with a Consumer Relations Specialist regarding the account.

Customer Relations Specialist

Recovery Team │ Receivables Management

So my question is, how do I proceed from here? The number they are asking me to call now is a different one from yesterday. After reading the posts here, everyone states to not have phone conversations with the CA and that there needs to be a paper trail. If I call back, they are going to ask for my SSN, etc which again I am not going give over the phone. What should my next step be? Any advice would be appreciated!

Sorry this is so long-winded but wanted to give as much information as I could so hopefully someone can point me in the right direction.

Where did you get the report from? You say the last 4 digits are left off. Have they ever mailed anything to you? Have you tried pulling your report from www.annualcreditreport.com? They sometimes have more information. Oh, and congrats on the other deletions.

I pulled all three of them from annualcreditreport.com. I just don't know the best way to proceed. If I return the call am I correct in not giving them my ssn, etc over the phone? I have already requested documentation from them proving they have the right to collect the debt from me but I have gotten no where.

So am I reading this right, that they have not responded correctly to your DV? Unless I read it wrong, have they sent you the account information showing it was yours? It hasn't been quite 30 days yet, almost.

What are some of the techniques others have used to get rid of them? If you see that others have successfully used BBB or CFPB, then you can try that too, but I think you have to give them the full 30 days?

Definitely don't give them your social or anything else! I wouldn't talk to them by phone either. They can be very tricky and intimidating and might trick you into agreeing to something.

I'm not 100% accurate on the DV process, but make a checklist and make sure you are following that process exactly and start counting them down, then move on to the next step. Don't entertain those clowns.

I really appreciate the responses. They do not have my address that I am aware of. I have lived at the same address for 8 years and have never recieved anything from them. They have not responded to the DV but after reading the other posts about this company, it doesn't appear that they ever respond. When I called yesterday and gave them my name and the partial account number I found on my CR, they said they could not locate anything. That is when they started pushing for my SSN which I wouldn't give. My thoughts on this are, if they are trying to collect money from a debt that actually belongs to me, then they should have my information, bottom line.

They will not respond to any emails now, they just keep sending the same response back stating I need to contact a customer relations specialist.

So obviosly since it would not be wise to get on the phone with them, I know I should wait out the full 30 days from the original DV, but then what should be my next step?

If you have an email from the OC stating the debt Is not yours and in belongs to someone else with a name similar to yours-- send a certified dispute letter to all 3 bureaus, describe the situation, include the email conversations particularly the part where they stated the account is not yours.

Forums posts are not provided or commissioned by FICO. Forums posts have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by FICO. It is not FICO's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

Advertiser Disclosure: The listings that appear on myFICO are from companies from which myFICO receives compensation, which may impact how and where products appear on myFICO (including, for example, the order in which they appear). myFICO does not review or include all companies or all available products.

† Credit cards for FICO Score ranges: The score ranges are guidelines based on internal myFICO analysis of actual applicant approvals, and having a FICO Score in a particular range does not guarantee you will be approved for credit cards recommended in that range. These ranges were not provided by any card issuer.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: All FICO® Score products made available on myFICO.com include a FICO® Score 8, along with additional FICO® Score versions. Your lender or insurer may use a different FICO® Score than the versions you receive from myFICO, or another type of credit score altogether. Learn more

FICO, myFICO, Score Watch, The score lenders use, and The Score That Matters are trademarks or registered trademarks of Fair Isaac Corporation. Equifax Credit Report is a trademark of Equifax, Inc. and its affiliated companies. Many factors affect your FICO Score and the interest rates you may receive. Fair Isaac is not a credit repair
organization as defined under federal or state law, including the Credit Repair Organizations Act. Fair Isaac does not provide "credit repair" services or advice or
assistance regarding "rebuilding" or "improving" your credit record, credit history or credit rating. FTC's website on credit.